Darth Sohn
by ahodgepodgeofthings
Summary: Leia Organa is surprised when she is introduced to the Empire's newest Sith Lord, Darth Sohn. She's even more surprised when she feels a strange, familiar connection to him. Soon enough, she's completely entangled in his mess. Powers she didn't even know she had, family connections she never wanted, the political coup that she always has? Is it all worth it in the end? On Hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

Princess Leia sighed. Imperial Day was such a boring ordeal. It was really quite disappointing that it had to fall on her birthday, of all days.

For the past three years, ever since she'd turned sixteen, she'd been forced to the Imperial Day celebrations in her father's place. Someone had to be there to represent Alderaan. Leia wished desperately that it wasn't her. If she had to have one more conversation with one of these imperial goons…especially if Palpatine dragged her into something…the man (if he could even be called that) knew just how to get under her skin. And for whatever reason, she was one of his favorite people to talk to. Probably because she was one of the only rebel representatives left.

Most representatives had been bullied into silence or had their positions forcibly taken over by Imperial loyalists. Alderaan was one of the few planets not to blindly worship the Empire or fall into subservience for it, though it was getting harder not to day by day.

She wondered where Palpatine was anyways. His presence was chilling enough that if he were in a room, it'd quickly overtake the whole space. It was hard not to notice him. Leia shuddered just thinking about him.

She took a sip of her drink, scanning the room for any sign that he would enter soon. The Emperor certainly loved to make his grand entrances. She tapped her foot impatiently. She wished the old codger would just—

Leia's heart suddenly dropped to her stomach. It looked like her wish was about to be granted.

Darth Vader had entered the room, and following behind him closely was…the Emperor. Leia frowned in slight confusion. It looked like there was someone behind them…and it wasn't just the usual guards, though there were a couple both in front of Vader and rounding out the back of the line, protecting the three figures as they made their way towards the center of the room.

Leia moved forward, intrigued despite herself. She took a deep breath, making an effort to swallow her fear, and stepped towards the front of the circle that seemed to have gathered around the Emperor, Vader, and…whoever this person was.

He looked to be little more than a boy. Blonde, skinny, but with a nice face, despite the heavy scarring. He was dressed entirely in black, imperial colors, but seemed to have a pleasant smile on his face regardless. Leia's first instinct was that he was someone familiar. And she usually trusted her instincts.

His blue eyes swept the room, briefly flickering to and lingering on Leia's face before glancing away and staring forward as Palpatine began to speak. Leia frowned, wondering where she possibly could have seen him before…she had to have, right?

But she'd never heard of him. And he seemed to be someone important. So who was he?

Palpatine's chilling cackle echoed through the door, silencing the onlookers who'd probably been asking the same questions Leia had been thinking. "Hello, my friends! Happy Empire Day!"

"Happy Empire Day!" They responded enthusiastically, with too-bright smiles and nervousness in their eyes. Leia didn't say anything. She wouldn't.

She missed the years when she'd stay home and celebrate her birthday with her mother.

Palpatine interrupted her thoughts once again. "We have another little surprise for you all. You are about to witness the creation of a new Sith Lord!"

The boy took a knee before the Emperor, bowing his head. "I pledge myself to your teachings." His voice was solemn but rang clearly throughout the room.

Palpatine seemed to drink this in, smiling sinisterly. "Good."

The silence that came afterward seemed to last forever, broken only by the Emperor's apparent delight as he practically drank in the power the young man held.

Finally, he opened his eyes and looked down at the boy. "Henceforth, you shall be known Darth…Sohn."

Silence once again permeated the room, but it was much shorter than before. "Rise," Palpatine stated finally, and Darth Sohn rose to his feet to stand beside the Darth Vader, to the left of Palpatine, both slightly behind him.

Loud, raucous applause filled the room. Leia shook her head in disgust. At least she had something to report to her father, she supposed. Suddenly, the boy's eyes turned to meet hers again, staring at her with gentle confusion. Leia forced herself to tear away from his warm gaze, instead turning and disappearing into the crowd. She had absolutely no desire to talk to any Sith Lords today.

Unfortunately, he seemed to have decided to pursue her. Upon realizing he wasn't going to stop, she sighed and turned to face him, crossing her arms. "Is there something you want from me?"

Darth Sohn practically skidded to a stop in front of her, eyes brimming with that same curiosity. "I beg your pardon, Princess…but." He frowned slightly. "Have we met before? I feel…" he paused. "I feel like I know you from somewhere."

Leia hesitated, unsure of how much she should tell him. She felt his probing eyes on her, and she averted her gaze. Sohn's frown grew slightly deeper.

"Well, you seem to know who I am," Leia responded, allowing her gaze to be drawn back to his.

"Of course I know who you are. I know who all the politicians are. But this is different," he insisted. "I feel like I _know_ you."

Leia hesitated, biting her lip. Despite everything she knew, this all just…felt right. He didn't seem _bad. _So against all of her better judgment going entirely with her gut, Leia responded, "…I feel the same. And I know I've never seen you before. It's just…a feeling."

Sohn's eyes lit up at this. He finally looked away from her, mind whirring. "You've given me a lot to think about, Princess…is it all right if I got the frequency for your holoprojector? I'd like to discuss things with you if that's all right. Theories, and the like." His piercing stare met hers again, blue eyes smiling kindly at her.

…And despite it all, Leia said yes. When push came to shove, she trusted her gut. It had never been wrong before. And right now, her gut was telling her to find out more about Darth Sohn, more about who he was, and why they felt connected somehow.

"Excellent. I'll talk to you soon, hopefully," Sohn said upon entering her number, flashing her one last smile before turning and calling, "It was good to meet you, Princess!"

Leia watched him go, stunned at herself. She had no idea what had come over her. She shouldn't be giving out her frequency to one of Palpatine's apprentices! Well, hopefully, he'd forget all about her.

But a part of her really hoped he wouldn't.

A much less welcome presence made its way to her after that, and Leia groaned inwardly. For all these years, she'd somehow managed to avoid having a conversation with Darth Vader, despite often standing near him when talking to Palpatine, and she preferred to keep it that way. But naturally, she supposed he'd be interested in seeing what had the new Sith Lord so interested in her. Though he hadn't cared much when the Emperor had held many conversations with her and been standing right there…so it was a bit of a shock to see him walking towards her. Come to think of it, he didn't usually mingle with the guests, preferring to stay by Palpatine's side and only speaking when spoken to by his Master.

"What did he want with you?"

She looked up, mildly surprised by his brazenness. "That's between him and me."

Darth Vader stared down at for a moment, and Leia shifted her weight, slightly uncomfortable by the sound of the respirator. She gasped slightly; she could feel some dark presence probing her mind…some darkness in her head. Instinctually, she used all her effort to push it away, throwing the presence from her mind. Vader shifted slightly, stared even harder at her, then made a noise of anger and turned to follow Darth Sohn, sweeping his cape behind him as he went.

Leia shook her head, bewildered and feeling slightly violated. What was that? It was sort of like being with Palpatine…but where Palpatine's presence was subtle but menacing, Vader's was charging, blazing. It felt like a rip rather than a sift, as she'd felt Palpatine do sometimes. She supposed he'd been trying to tear the memory from her…She was frankly surprised he'd left without a fight.

At least she was until last but certainly not least, the Emperor himself made his way up to her. "Hello, my dear," he smiled warmly, yellow eyes gleaming menacingly. Leia suppressed a shudder. He took her gently by the hand, patting it. "Come, let's get away from all of this and talk somewhere quiet…"

Leia followed him reluctantly to a somewhat secluded corner of the ballroom, and two of Palpatine's guards immediately moved to cover them as he sat upon a small cushioned ledge, beckoning her to sit by him by patting the seat next to him.

Leia obliged, sitting lightly next to him, trying to avoid the hem of his robes, but that proved to be impossible as Palpatine soon gripped her hands again, preventing any movement. He patted them in what he must've thought was a fatherly way before turning his beady yellow gaze on her.

"So tell me, my dear…" he said softly, intensely. "What did my apprentices want with you?"

She felt his slippery presence in her mind, and closed her eyes, willing it away. It was more difficult than Vader. More subtle. But at the first touch, it withdrew, as it always did.

"With all due respect, those conversations are between me and them," Leia stated firmly, summoning all her willpower to fight the urge to run. She wanted to get far, far away from here. She was tired of having her mind invaded. All this for some connection she and Darth Sohn might have simply imagined between one another! She wished she'd just not bothered talking to him, that she'd just walked away. Though she wasn't sure that would've entirely evaded their interests…he would've caught up to her some way.

"I see," Palpatine responded, breaking her from her thoughts. His gaze was hard and she thought she saw a flash of anger for a moment, but the next it was gone and he was looking at her with soft, curious eyes that reminded her almost disgustedly of Sohn's. But there wasn't genuine warmth in these eyes, not like she'd felt in his.

She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding when Palpatine finally released her hands. "Well my dear, I hope you enjoy the party!" He stood, smiling at her. "It was nice talking to you, as always, my dear Leia."

Leia fought the urge not to bolt, instead walking out on shaky legs, taking deep breaths.

She really hated Sith Lords.

She spent the rest of the party composing herself, eating what was given, chatting with anyone who came up to her but avoiding conversation overall. She was polite and direct. She was the perfect image of Alderaan's princess.

Once or twice she caught Darth Sohn glancing in her direction as he chatted pleasantly with the other guests. Once or twice he caught her looking in his and threw her a grin.

Other than the very beginning, the whole thing was the usual, rather mundane affair. Suffice it to say, Leia was more than ready to return home and have a proper birthday celebration with her parents. Soon there was less than an hour to go before the whole thing was over…

Naturally, it would be in the final hour that the whole thing would finally get interesting.

Leia had been in the midst of conversing with the senator from Thrad, Nadea Tural when a few shocked screams led to a sudden hush in the room.

She looked across the room and nearly dropped her glass in surprise. Darth Sohn was clenching his fist, glaring daggers at the Imperial officer in front of him, who was grasping at his throat and hovering off the ground, clearly choking.

Everyone watched in stunned silence as the horrible retching sounds continued and then slowly faded and then died altogether and the man hung limply, dead in the air. Sohn tossed him to the ground, then smiled and continued his conversation with the Imperial officer next to him as if nothing had happened.

Slowly, the perturbed guests settled back into conversation with one another, though an aura of uneasiness hung over the room. Leia wondered who it was that had been killed. His body still lay splayed out upon the floor, and a pathway had been cleared around it so that there was some space.

Despite herself, Leia took a step hesitantly forward, wondering if she might know who the man was. Being an Imperial, she couldn't really feel that sorry for him, but it did raise some misgiving about Darth Sohn.

And yet in spite of it all, a part of Leia still wanted desperately to trust him.

She halted suddenly as Vader marched in front of her, making a beeline for Sohn. He grasped the young man by the shoulder, and Sohn gave the officer an apologetic smile and began to leave. He smiled at Leia as he walked by, and Leia was surprised to hear his voice echoing in her head, clear as though he'd spoken aloud. "I'll explain later."

She shook her head as though to clear it but then met his gaze as he looked back at her. She only hesitated a moment before giving him a small nod.

She noticed that Vader never took his hand off his shoulder, from the moment they'd left the officer until the moment they'd left the room.

What was going to happen to him? She wondered why felt so worried, but a sense of ominous foreboding was festering inside her—she was pretty sure it had something to do with Palpatine.

Where was he? She frowned, glancing around the room. But to be honest, she wasn't surprised. The party looked like it was finally coming to a close.

And considering that its host and his entourage had left, all of the other guests seemed to think so too.

Needless to say, it was definitely Leia's most interesting Empire Day. Even including all of her birthday parties. She'd certainly have a lot to report back to Bail.

Although she might want to leave some things out…At least until she got some answers from Sohn.

Somehow she didn't think her father would approve of her consorting with the newest Sith Lord, but some instinct deep inside of her, something that had always been intrinsic to her entire being was telling her otherwise, telling her to listen to Dark Sohn. She owed it to herself to hear him out.

And she wanted to know who that Imperial was; it'd look suspicious if she went to check the body now that everyone was leaving, and she'd been too far away to see who it was. But it must've been someone important if it had sparked such a reaction from Vader. For even in spite of the mask, she could almost sense the masked man's feelings on some level. She hadn't usually detected such a swirl of anger, confusion, and fear all at once. Certainly not from him. On the few occasions she had met him, she hadn't been able to read him like she typically could others. And not just because of the mask. He and Palpatine and now Darth Sohn had always been the exceptions. It was if there was…a wall. A mask that they all hid behind. But it was as if Vader had been too emotional to put up that wall tonight.

Well. She'd get answers from Sohn later, she'd make sure of it.

She hoped they came soon.

Leia boarded her ship as quickly as she could, eager to return home to her parents. She put all of her questions out of her mind for now. For now, she was going to take a well-deserved nap and soon enough, she'd be home. Ready to have a proper birthday celebration. And of course to report the news to her parents.

She headed to her quarters to change into something more comfortable before letting down on her hair and climbing into her bed.

Unfortunately, sleep did not come easily. She tossed and turned for the next few hours, and what sleep did come was full of screams and jolts of shocking pain…

Darth Sohn was howling, screaming, twitching on the floor as the Emperor was hitting bolt after bolt after bolt of lightning at him…

Vader stood motionless, watching, but she could feel the concern and sorrow running through him.

Palpatine stopped for a moment, looking down in disgust, anger gleaming in his yellow eyes, looking at the young man panting before him on the ground. "I make you a Sith Lord, and this is how you repay me? By killing my Grand Moff?" Another bolt of lightning hit Sohn, and the boy screamed. Leia could've sworn she saw Vader actually flinch.

"What do you have to say for yourself? What is your excuse?" Palpatine growled.

Sohn panted, attempting to catch his breath. "I am waiting for an answer!" Palpatine shrieked, readying himself to shoot another bolt of lightning when the boy finally spoke.

"He…he…He made me angry…" Darth Sohn rasped.

"He made you angry," Palpatine mocked. "Tell me you've got something better than that, boy!" He snarled.

"He…was excusing…slavery…" the boy said. "My father…my father wouldn't have liked it…"

Palpatine turned to Vader. "Well, isn't that sentimental. He did it for his father…what do you have to say to that, Lord Vader?"

Vader paused. "That was…unnecessary, my son. You know how valuable Grand Moff Tarkin was to us."

"I'm surprised you believe him, Lord Vader. Or maybe you don't. Maybe you're just in denial of the truth." Palpatine shook his head in disgust before turning back to Luke. "I think it will do you some good to be quarantined in your room until you come to your senses, Lord Sohn. No one will be permitted to visit you. Least of all your father," he said "father" with a sneer, looking snidely at Darth Vader, before continuing. "You will only be allowed to leave when I think you are ready. Until then, you will be placed under heavy guard night and day. You would not be wise to attempt an escape. Tonight was only a taste of the pain you will know if you defy me again…"

Leia's vision was going hazy…she stirred in bed…No! She needed to find out what was happening, what was going on…!

She gasped and sat up in bed, clutching the covers to her chest…no…she was so close to finding answers…and for whatever reason, an overwhelming amount of pity and empathy filled her, and the next moment, Princess Leia Organa, member of the Rebellion, was crying over a Sith Lord.

What had she gotten herself into?


	2. Chapter 2

Bail Organa smiled at his daughter as she appeared in the doorway of the ship. She gave him a tired but bright one in return, practically running forward to throw herself into his arms.

"Oof!" He joked good-naturedly, returning her hug and patting her on the shoulder. "Miss me that much?"

"Please never make me go to that ball again," Leia groaned into his chest and he laughed.

"I suppose it's hardly a way to celebrate your birthday—speaking of which," he finally pulled out of her embrace and smiled down at her. "We've got something for you."

Her returns always went like this. He would greet her, she'd groan to him, and then they'd go and have a proper birthday celebration.

It was really was unfortunate that it had to fall on Empire Day.

One birthday celebration later, and her parents were already looking to her for any information she'd gleaned from the event. Leia swallowed her last piece of cake and grimaced before pushing her plate away. For once, this would be extremely eventful.

She gave a dry laugh. "Where do I even begin?" She put her face in her hands and rubbed her eyes, shaking her head. "Well..." she decided it'd be best to put this as bluntly as possible. "There's a new Sith Lord."

Bail and Breha's eyes widened at this.

"That's not even the half of it..." She shook her head wildly, eyes sliding from their gazes to relive the horrific moment. "He...he killed Grand Moff Tarkin."

There was silence for a solid minute before Breha finally broke it. "He...he killed him? At the party?"

"At the party," Leia confirmed. "I watched him choke him to death myself."

"But...why?" Bail responded, shaking his head and meeting her gaze, searching for an answer.

Leia shrugged. That much was true...She really didn't want to tell her parents anything about her dream. Or about her connection to the young Sith Lord. She wanted to find answers for herself before taking a stance on anything...especially considering her typically-trusted instincts were guiding her towards Sohn. She frowned thoughtfully to herself as her parents began to speak with one another again, trying to make some sense of what was happening.

Bail stood abruptly. "I will need to communicate this with the Rebellion."

Leia stood too. "I think I need to get to bed," she murmured exhaustedly. Breha nodded and smiled weakly at her, following her father out of the room.

In truth, Leia was going to her room to see if she could contact Sohn. If there was any her dream was true...and she was sure it was...Hopefully, he'd still be able to contact her. Even if he were confined to his quarters...

She was at least going to try, and she was going to try every day until she got an answer. She needed one badly.

Unfortunately, the first time she attempted to holocall him, there was no response, so she sighed. She supposed there was always tomorrow.

She supposed she might as well get ready to sleep. She was tired, after all, despite the power-nap she'd taken on the ship over, she hadn't actually gotten much sleep due to the nightmare. The nightmare that felt so real…

Shaking her head, she frowned. She wasn't going to think about that now…she was going to wait until she could actually talk to Sohn so she could piece all of this together.

Despite the odd sense of trust her gut was placing in him, she knew she had to keep things to herself. She couldn't place her faith in an imperial…least of all a Sith Lord. She wouldn't tell him about the dream, at least. She'd exercise caution until he proved himself.

But the Rebellion needed all the allies it could get. And one in the Emperor's inner circle…But it wouldn't do to be too optimistic. She couldn't get her hopes up. She was already taking a massive chance as it was.

She supposed she might as well get ready for bed. She quickly changed into her nightdress, brushed her hair one last time, and then clambered into her bed, shutting her eyes and almost immediately drifting into a dark, dreamless sleep.

…only to be woken a few hours later by the ringing of her holoprojector. Leia groaned, burrowing deeper into the covers. All she wanted was a bit of sleep…and then she remembered. It could be Darth Sohn.

So she sat up rapidly and reached for her holoprojector beside her bed. It was him. Eagerly, she accepted it and set it back, ready to finally get some clarification on everything.

After a moment, Darth Sohn's scarred face appeared on the holoprojector. He looked exhausted, but the twinkle came back to his eyes as he saw her.

"Princess," he acknowledged, dipping his head respectively to her.

"Darth," Leia said after a moment's hesitation on what she should call him.

She detected the slightest hint of a grimace on his face at this, but it was gone before she could think on it. "I apologize for the wait. I was...indisposed," he said lightly, again hiding a grimace.

_I bet_, Leia thought, frowning to herself before pushing the thought away, although there was now little doubt in her mind that her dream had been true. She forced herself to focus on the situation at hand.

"What was it you wanted to discuss with me?"

"Right," Sohn's face darkened, assuming a more serious demeanor than she'd been accustomed to with him.

"I want to overthrow the Emperor, and I need your help to do it."

Everything stopped as the weight of Darth Sohn's words sunk in. Leia actually felt her jaw drop. Of all the things she'd been expecting to hear, this certainly hadn't been it. Or at least…not so upfront.

As the silence evaporated and her thoughts suddenly filled the void, crashing over one another and blending together to form one coherent conclusion: this was inevitable. After all the evidence, everything she'd seemed, and if she took the dream into account…of course, he wanted to overthrow the Empire.

But the question remained of why he wanted her help. And how reliable was this exactly? She barely knew him. Why, why was she so eager to trust him?

So finally, she got her bearings and heaved a breath, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes. "You can see why that might be hard for me to believe."

"Of course," Darth Sohn nodded respectfully. But a strange glint was in his eyes. "…But you do."

"What?" Leia snapped.

"You do believe it. You're just putting up a front. You're like me, you have the same, instinctive trust in me that I do in you…don't you?"

"I…" Leia knew it was pointless to deny it, but before she could say anything, Sohn interrupted her.

"It's the Force, you know."

"…what?" Leia sputtered.

"The Force. You have it, don't you?"

"I don't…I…" Leia frowned. "You mean…like a Jedi?"

"Or a Sith," Sohn shrugged casually.

"No," Leia snapped coldly. "Not like a Sith."

"Fair enough," he responded. "But you've always been able to sense things, haven't you? To do things…that should be impossible?"

And suddenly Leia was struck with a memory…What he said was true, but one moment was popping up more than the others…

_A ten-year-old Leia lay in her room, stirred gently from sleep. Voices echoed through the hall, an unfamiliar one among them. They were coming toward her room…_

_They lingered outside the door, "…the boy is gone?"_

_"Yes. The girl is our last hope now. She must not be found. You must give her to me so that I can protect her. I will take her to Master Yoda on Dagobah, and we will train her."_

_"Take her? No. Absolutely not. We're her family! I will not allow you to take her from her home."_

_"Bail, please, you must understand—"_

_"I won't have it. She's ten, Obi-Wan. She's too young."_

_"The boy is the same age, and he's already been lost to the Dark Side. If we don't rise with light to meet it…"_

_"Leia is not your puppet. I will not allow you to kidnap her from her home!"_

_"Bail, be reasonable—"_

_"No, Obi-Wan. I am sorry about the boy, I truly am. But Leia's place is here. With her family. Maybe when she's older…"_

_"Bail—"_

_"No. My answer is final. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."_

_There was silence for a while. And then, finally, the man spoke. "Very well. But you must stress to her that she must hide her powers…you must find a way to get her to suppress her presence in the Force. If the Emperor were ever to discover her existence…"_

_"Fine. I'll tell her. I'll find a way."_

_But he never did. He'd never tell her, and Leia didn't know why. Half the time she wondered if she'd dreamt the encounter. But…_

Could the boy be Darth Sohn? They did look to be the same age…Leia frowned before finally responding to him. "You're right. I have felt it…always. On some level."

Sohn's eyes gleamed. "…I just wonder why the Force decided to forge a bond between us of all people…you must be really strong in the Force. I could feel your presence. It was so bright…I don't know how Palpatine missed it." He frowned confusedly.

"Or maybe he did…" Leia said slowly. Darth Sohn looked at her in confusion.

"He…He always seemed particularly interested in me," Leia confessed. "He'd pull me aside to talk to me whenever he could."

"Hmm," Sohn pondered. "If he'd known the sheer power coming from you, I think he'd have tried to take you…He may have an inkling, but…" He shrugged. "That's a mystery for the future. For now, we need to discuss the overthrow."

"I never agreed to that," Leia responded.

"But it's your best shot at overthrowing Palpatine," he protested. "We could save millions of lives."

"Why don't you just join the Rebellion?" Leia questioned, frustrated. He was making a lot of sense.

"First of all, escape is impossible. Palpatine and Vader have me under lock and key. Especially after yesterday's incident," he grimaced.

"And what was that about?" Leia interjected. She wanted answers.

"I'd been planning it for a while. I just needed an excuse. I don't know if Palpatine bought it though," he grimaced, wincing slightly. "But it had to be done. He was onto me."

"How do you know Palpatine isn't onto you too?"

"Oh, I have no doubt that he is," Sohn remarked surprisingly casually. "But he's hoping I'll change my mind. If I die, he'll always have my…Vader. The really important thing is that he doesn't find out about you," he stopped, looking at her seriously. "I'll need to find some excuse to get over to Alderaan and train you…obviously, we can't do it on Coruscant…or maybe some other planet? This is going to be tricky…"

"Hold on, I never agreed to let you train me," Leia said. "I never even agreed to this whole uprising—"

"Princess, with all due respect—"

"Don't call me 'princess', _Darth_," Leia snapped. "It's Leia. Just Leia."

Sohn was quiet for a moment. Then, finally, he said, "And you can call me Luke."

"What?" Leia asked, taken aback.

"Luke. It's my name. Darth Sohn is my Sith title…I don't really care for it. Just 'Luke.' Call me Luke."

"Okay…" Leia said hesitantly, "…Luke." She sighed. "Just…give me a second to think it all over."

"Every second we waste, millions of lives are being lost or enslaved to Palpatine," Luke snapped. "You need me to train you. The two of us together can take on the Emperor, I know it."

"And what about Vader?" Leia snapped.

"Oh, we can deal with him too," Luke practically snarled, and Leia was taken aback by the sudden venom in his voice. Any control he'd had was gone. "He's weak. He's pathetic. I surpassed him long ago."

Her dream had to have been real. And if it was real, then that meant Vader was Luke's father…but she didn't trust him enough to disclose the dream, and it for all his supposed power, he hadn't sensed her presence there…She shook her head. Maybe she'd tell him one day if he earned her trust…

Leia sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "I…Oh, I don't know why I'm even doing this, but…I'll do it! On one condition," she interjected.

"Name it."

"You don't train me."

"What? But then—"

"I won't be trained by a Sith," she snapped at him. "I happen to know of two Jedi. I can find them and they can train me."

Luke quirked an eyebrow at her. "Really? Two more Jedi the Inquisitors haven't found?" He mused. "Vader won't like that…"

"You're not going to tell him," Leia snapped. "You tell him anything and I'm out."

"Of course," Luke said. "And of course you can train under these Jedi. It doesn't matter the type of training you have so long as it's good enough to beat Palpatine. I'll assess you myself when you're finished."

"This is going to have to be a part-time thing," Leia warned. "I can only take so much time off my royal and Rebellion duties."

"Of course," Luke nodded respectfully. "I'll expect updates on your training?"

"Sure," Leia agreed reluctantly. "Once a week?"

"Once a week," Luke agreed. "Oh, before I go…" he frowned, questioning. "Is anyone else in your family Force-sensitive?"

"Why?" Leia asked suspiciously.

"I'm just curious," he held his hands up. "You don't have to disclose if you want."

"Well, I'm adopted," Leia said. "I don't know who my birth father is. But…" she hesitated. "I do know who my birth mother was."

"Was she?"

"I don't think so," Leia said. "She was a Senator, not a Jedi." She hesitated, then smiled proudly. "You may have heard of her. Senator Padmé Amidala…" Her birth mother's identity was one of the things she took pride in. Padmé was her role model. She froze. Why had she told him this? This stupid…instinctive trust! This was a secret. She wasn't supposed to tell anyone.

"I…you can't tell anyone that," Leia pleaded. "This stupid Force bond thing is messing with my head…please don't," she begged.

Luke was deathly quiet for a moment. Then finally, slowly, he met her eyes, studying her face intently. Leia shifted uncomfortably. "…Luke?"

He snapped out of the strange trance he'd gone into and responded immediately, "Of course I'll keep your secret…Leia." He met her eyes, and suddenly he was the most vulnerable she'd ever seen him. She was taken aback by the sheer…wonder…in his eyes.

"…Thank you," she responded. He said nothing, still staring at her. "Well," she said suddenly, wanting desperately to break this awkward exchange. "I do need to get back to sleep," she said. "I'm going to need to hang up."

"Okay," his eyes never left hers, even as she hung up. She shuddered, crawling back into bed. What had she just agreed to?

But despite everything, he was right, and some strange part of her did trust him despite every ounce of logic telling her otherwise. It must be the Force…well. Hopefully, she could trust it.

Everything was so complicated now. But she could figure it out in the morning. She was exhausted, especially after everything that had just transpired.

She sighed, closing her eyes and attempting to push her thoughts out of her mind. She just needed to sleep. She could think everything over in the morning.

It took some time, but soon enough she was asleep.

And the dreams came again.

_Luke sat in his room, on a sleek, black imperial couch. His eyes were on the door, staring intently at it. Soon enough, the door opened, and the sound of a respirator filled the room as Darth Vader's massive form entered. _

_Luke's gaze slid away. "Hello, Father. Nice of you to pop in."_

_Darth Vader growled. "What was that? You know better."_

_"Of course I do," Luke said dryly, not looking at him._

_"Luke," Vader's voice was gentler now, and Luke's eyes slid to stare up at him. "Why did you kill Tarkin?" _

_Luke stared at him for a moment, then looked away. "I told you. He made me angry."_

_Darth Vader sighed heavily. "Well. The Emperor has given me strict orders not to contact you and I will have to abide by them."_

_"Of course," Luke's voice rose slightly, nearly imperceptibly. He held up his mechanical hand, flexing it back and forth. He turned to look at his father. "Palpatine's orders matter more to you than anything…don't they," he leveled his gaze at him, voice biting as he practically spat the final words out. "Oh, but I forgot…this was _your_ handiwork."_

_Darth Vader was silent, staring down at his son. Finally, with a whip of his cape, he marched out of the room, slamming the door behind him and leaving Luke all alone._

_Bitter satisfaction rang through him as he turned to stare ahead, leaning his head back and thinking. Amidala…that was impossible, surely? She couldn't be…Surely not. But…the resemblance was clear. He'd spent enough time staring at pictures of his mother. _

_He frowned, pulling out his datapad. Surely his mother hadn't had any affairs? Princess Leia was his age…perhaps…he looked up her date of birth. Empire Day…the same as him. There was no way…but all the facts seemed to line up._

_…Was Princess Leia really his twin sister?_

Leia shot up in bed as Luke's thoughts reverberated through her brain. No…no, it couldn't be. She couldn't be…

…She had a lot of questions to ask her father.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Leia dressed quickly and headed down to breakfast. She greeted her parents quietly and sat down at her place, still trying to work her courage up.

Bail and Breha smiled at her when she entered the room, then went back to their hushed conversation. Leia was too tired and stressed to even care.

Finally, after a couple of minutes, Bail and Breha finished their conversation and turned to her. "You've been awfully quiet this morning," her father remarked, quirking an eyebrow at her.

"Well, you seemed busy," Leia offered halfheartedly. Breha frowned at her.

"Everything okay?"

Leia sighed, momentarily burying her face in her hands, steeling herself. She sighed before finally looking up at them. "Actually, it's not...Mother, Father...I have a few questions. And I'd really like you to answer them honestly."

Her parents exchanged a worried glance with one another before beckoning toward her. "Of course, Leia. You know you can ask us anything," Bail responded, looking at her with kind eyes that made Leia's stomach clench uncomfortably.

She sighed, looking down at her hands in her lap before looking back at them again. "It's about my birth parents."

She waited for them to process this, watching as their gazes briefly filled with shock, then confusion, then fear. Breha reached out and squeezed her husband's hand. "Of course. Ask away, dear."

She closed her eyes, bracing herself, then opened them and stared intently at her parents. "Is Darth Vader my father?"

The room was dead quiet. The shock on Bail and Breha's faces was palpable, their jaws slack momentarily. Bail's jaw clenched and he closed his eyes briefly. "How...How did you find this out?"

"Does it really matter?" Leia asked miserably. "Not from you."

She looked at her parents in pain, desperation flooding her. "Why didn't you just _tell_ me?" She practically begged them, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

"We wanted to protect you," Bail protested weakly, rubbing his eyes, but Breha shook her head.

"We promised to be honest with her, dear...We didn't...really want to acknowledge it ourselves...your father was a good friend of...well, your father's...and a part of us still can't believe what he became. It's horrible to think about." Tears were gathering in Breha's eyes too as she stared at her husband, and she squeezed his hand again in another effort to comfort him before sighing and staring at her daughter. "You have every right to be angry with us for keeping this from you. We're sorry."

Leia heaved a breath, averting her eyes from them. She was angry. Unspeakably so. But they were still her parents, and she loved them. She looked back up at them. Her father wouldn't meet her eyes, staring down in shame at the table, so she shifted her gaze to her mother, who was staring at her with a mixture of sadness and guilt in her eyes. "Is there anything else I should know?" She questioned them softly.

Breha glanced at her husband, then nodded. "Yes...Before Darth Vader was Darth Vader, he was a Jedi named Anakin Skywalker." Leia gaped. "Yes, that Anakin Skywalker...he and your mother had an affair...and as you know, she died giving birth to you...and your twin brother."

Leia moaned, burying her head in her hands. "No, no, no..." She steadied herself, forcing herself to breathe evenly, blinking back horrified tears. "Why didn't you take him in with me? Why isn't he here?"

"The Jedi thought that it would be best for you two to remain separated—in case one of you were kidnapped..." Bail groaned guiltily here, and Breha squeezed his hand again.

"Oh _no_," Leia moaned. "Then it's true...he really is my brother."

"What?" Bail asked sharply, speaking for practically the first time since this conversation had started.

"Lu—Darth Sohn," Leia cut herself off. "He's my brother."

Bail gaped. "How did you figure that out?"

"I remember you and that man talking, years ago...I just assumed..." Leia didn't quite trust them with the whole truth yet. At any rate, she didn't quite want them to know she'd been plotting with a Sith Lord...

Bail sighed. "I'd hoped...Well. Yes, that's what I surmised as well...He's certainly the spitting image of his father...I saw the HoloNet footage."

"You should've taken him in," Leia said angrily, standing and slamming her hands on the table. "Look at him now! He's my brother, and he's being used as a weapon! Look at the scars on his face! Can you even _imagine _how much he's been tortured?"

Bail and Breha winced as Leia groaned and began pacing. An uncomfortable silence filled the room once more. Leia sighed, clenching her fists. Maybe she was being too harsh...but.

"I do have something to ask of you," she said softly, prompting her parents to look up at her.

She hesitated, then looked her father straight in the eyes. "I need to train. I need to be a Jedi."

Bail looked at Breha, and she nodded. "I assume you want to go to train with Masters Obi-Wan and Yoda?"

"Yes," Leia said. "Every moment Palpatine remains in charge, is a moment more lives are being lost. I'm going to find a way to get rid of him...and liberate the galaxy."

Her parents stared at her for a moment in disbelief, then exchanged a glance and nodded. "You need to be trained. That much is certain. Especially considering the recent rise of Darth Sohn..."

"You mean my brother," Leia practically snarled, feeling defensive, and Bail flinched. A prickle of guilt swirled in her stomach, but she pushed it aside. "Sorry, but...Don't call him that. At least take responsibility for your actions," she looked away from them for a moment, then looked back.

"I'd like to leave as soon as possible."

"Of course. We'll have you on a ship to Dagobah soon."

"Thank you," Leia murmured. "I'll get packed." She left with an uncomfortable feeling in her gut. Uncomfortable, but necessary. This confrontation needed to be added. She could make up with her parents when she returned. Right now, there were bigger worries. She needed to focus on her training.

And maybe, just maybe...the Jedi could tell her more about her birth parents…

So Leia hurried to pack and by the end of the day, she was ready to head to Dagobah to meet the Jedi. She hugged her parents awkwardly but tightly before she left, knowing how much she'd miss them while she was gone.

That night, before she climbed into bed, she hesitated on whether or not she should tell Luke what she'd figured out, or wait for him to tell her. She wasn't entirely certain if she could trust him yet…this could be a test of that. She just hoped he passed…

_Luke sat, waiting. It had been hours since anyone had come to his room, and given him time to think. He'd come to the conclusion that Leia had to be his twin sister. There was no other explanation for it._

_He contemplated telling her. On the one hand, it could increase her loyalty towards him. On the other, the information could come in handy later…and there was the chance she could spread it around, and more people could know about it, ruining his plan. _

_And who was to say how well she would take it? He hadn't even told her who his father was._

_He leaned back, closing his eyes, supposing he might as well sleep. He was still in slight pain from all of the Force lightning strikes…And he would probably be in here for a while. He just hoped it wouldn't be too long. He'd never realized how much he hated being alone. _


End file.
